Matt's Journey - Duty Tactical Commander

Matt Arkle is a duty tactical commander. He has been with the Trust for 10 years.

I had always loved the idea of being a paramedic, but with limited qualifications, I never thought it was a realistic option. Having left a previous role, a family friend who worked for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) suggested trying the patient transport service (PTS), so I applied in 2013 and the rest is history.

I joined as a member of the patient transport service team and loved every moment of it. I applied to become a student paramedic and was so shocked and surprised to be successful. This marked the start of my career in emergency operations. I worked as a student paramedic in east Suffolk and after a year gained my qualification as an emergency medical technician (EMT). I worked as an EMT for around a year, and then predominantly as the lead clinician for around 18 months, before I started paramedic training at university.

After 10 months of paramedic training, three years working in A&E operations and four years since starting at the Trust, I qualified as a paramedic. Within a couple of years of working as a paramedic, I completed a mentor course, gained a qualification in teaching and education, and started to mentor students. Almost three years after qualifying, I was successful in an application to become a hospital ambulance liaison officer (HALO). I really enjoyed this role as I learnt some of the core business needs of the Trust whilst working with new colleagues in the emergency department.

A year later I was successful with an application to become a developing leading operations manager (LOM). This was a real eye opener as it introduced me to day-to-day direct staff management and built on many of the skills I developed as a HALO.

Later that year, I was keen to build on the experiences I had gained, and I wanted to experience a different department within EEAST. So, I then worked as clinical coordinator in the emergency operations centre (EOC) within the emergency clinical advice triage (ECAT) team. This was a fantastic team to work within as it brought decades of experiences together with the aim of triaging patients to find the most appropriate pathway of care for them within the healthcare system.

Nearly 10 years after joining EEAST, my current role is leading operations manager in east Suffolk, however I am undertaking a secondment as duty tactical commander. The DTC role replaced what would have been referred to as silver commander in previous years. In this role I am responsible for setting the tactical direction of EEAST at any time.

We also manage the most severe hospital delays and take point of escalation for any operations or emergency operations centre (EOC) service delivery issues/ challenges and put mitigating actions in place to prevent patient or staff safety incidents.

I have faced many challenges along my journey so far. I have really struggled with academia throughout my life and that was magnified when I attended university. It was there that I was diagnosed with dyslexia and provided the support to flourish throughout the rest of the course.

My career journey to date has given me the ability to learn about multiple areas of the Trust, both emergency and non-emergency and has also developed my management and leadership skills. Im roud of having the honour to be a part of the service that helps people in their most vulnerable moments of life. Im also proud of the supportive environment that EEAST has created. In any moment of need, I have always been supported.

If youre considering a career with EEAST, do it. Like any workplace, it can have its challenges, but the team around you will help you get through these and will support you to flourish and succeed. You will experience some of the most amazing and challenging experiences and emotions, but you will do so with the team around you. You will develop within our communities and be a valued member of the team. Never give up. Nothing beats the feeling of helping our patients.